Over 2,400 top officials allegedly involved in graft, says CBI

Over 2,400 gazetted-rank officers are suspected to be involved in corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said.

It said the agency takes six months to complete probe in small cases, which may even go up to one year. In a few complex cases, the probe may take more than a year’s time to complete.

The submission was made by CBI Director Anil Sinha before the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice.

On a query relating to officers of gazetted rank of the Government of India and public sector undertakings (PSUs) suspected to be indulging in corruption vis-a-vis the time taken to complete investigation, the Director said, “2,411 such officers have been identified, which is an increase of 87 per cent over the last year,” in a report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.

As regards the time taken for investigation, it ranges from six months in small cases to a year in bigger cases, Sinha said.

“There are also some very complex cases, which may necessitate the investigation to go beyond a year. Since the prosecution in court depends on the evidence presented, there is no scope to unduly hasten the process which could adversely affect the investigation,” the panel said in the report on ‘Demands for Grants (2016-17) of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions’.

In response to a query on the pendency of cases, the Committee was informed that as on February 29, 2016, the CBI has a total of 1,200 cases pending under investigation.

“Of these, 31 cases are pending for over three years," the report said.